End of Summer Break

This last week of summer break was actually mostly work. Monday night, a colleague and I visited Sweetwater Brewing here in Atlanta for dinner and beer.

It is a big facility.

I played cribbage on Tuesday evening with the usual group. The rest of the week I came home for supper and mostly read a book or knitted until it was time for bed. I know I won't get many evenings like that this academic year. On Friday, nine people from my division gathered to play board games for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I got to try out my new copy of Bouba/Kiki that showed up this week. They played three times, so they must have liked it. We also played DiceCapades, which was a silly party game, and Taboo, which was fun.

The First Year Seminar classes met on Friday, during Orientation, so I got to meet the students in my section. My classroom is on the second floor of Hearst and I think it's quite cute. That building was built in 1915. The wooden floors creak, the walls have decades of bad paint on them. Real double-hung windows, and an irregular shape, with not quite enough space for 20 people.

The classroom I get to use for FYS.

On Saturday morning I decided to take my recycling to CHaRM (the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) in Decatur. I made an appointment online over breakfast and then loaded up the car. It was very well organized, and they take just about anything, but they are only open two days a week. It was a gray, drizzly morning. After that chore, I detoured to Decatur city center to see the Dekalb County Courthouse. Since I've been collecting photos of county courthouses, I thought I should hurry up and visit my own county. Plus, last fall a new statue of John Lewis was installed. The modern courthouse is next door and it is concrete and glass. This historic building now houses the historical society and there is a museum. I need to go again when it is open.

That's the historic courthouse in the back. Statue of John Lewis in front.

Sunday I went to a pastry shop in Johns Creek because I had a coupon for a free sample plate. The shop is called Rose Valley Sweets and they specialize in Persian pastry and beverages. The treats were great and so was the Persian Rose Flower tea.

Dubai chocolate parfait, pistachio baklava, pistachio cake, and chocolate cream puff.

Next I went to Buford to try a couple of breweries that turned out to occupy the same block downtown. First was Elixir, on Main Street, with a view of the ubiquitous railroad tracks. It was a nice taproom with thick wood tables and lots of open space and the owner (I think) was behind the bar. I had three samples before deciding on a sour that tasted like green apple.

The second stop in Buford, just around the corner, was Meander. That taproom was a little smaller but the fermentation tanks were sharing the room. There was a corner with some overstuffed chairs and a sofa where I sat to drink their brown ale.

Both breweries are on the Gwinnett brew tour so I was pleased to get two more check-ins and two more stickers for the collection. Tomorrow the semester starts!

Another fast week

This week I started getting up at the earlier school time which is 6 am for me. It really means reminding myself to go to sleep earlier, not reading or surfing the internet until midnight, since I usually do not mind waking up in the morning. I noticed that I'm more energetic this week (at least in the mornings) than I was when I had my alarm set for 7 am. I feel more motivated to get things done when I'm in my office before 8am, somehow. 

I had long meetings every day this week at school. Monday and Tuesday, the whole morning was taken up by the STM-101 group. It was nice to have everyone in the same room, making decisions together. Since I wasn't able to attend the group meetings last fall and it was just B and I teaching the course in the spring, I almost didn't remember that this is a collaborative effort. There are eight of us teaching five sections this fall.

Monday evening I went to board games and played all three games I had brought (Gorinto, Half Truth, and Through the Desert). When I arrived, the group was halfway through 7 Wonders, so I sat with a beginner and helped him play the rest of the game. It's been a long time since I played 7 Wonders in person. The most annoying person from last time wasn't there, so it was a less frustrating evening for me.

Tuesday evening I went to cribbage and played okay. We had a large group with four people joining us from out of town, plus a lot of the regulars back from summer break. We ended up only playing eight games because things were slow.

Wednesday I spent 9 am to 2 pm in the General Chemistry meeting with the other instructors, talking about the schedule and SLOs for the fall. I brought the quinoa salad I made Sunday for the potluck lunch. 

The stands are nearly empty.

Wednesday evening I met my friends K and P for a Gwinnett Stripers game. Our previous game was on a Saturday in July. It was interesting to see a difference in attendance this time. Only one concession stand and the taproom were open (I had a hotdog with popcorn and an iced tea - the meal deal for $12). We parked essentially at the entrance and at game start, there may have been as many players and coaches on the field as there were fans in the stands. Despite the threat of rain, and the ignominious defeat (2-14, against the Louisville Bats), we had a great time. I was able to collect from the team shop the cap I ordered after the previous game.

My new Stripers cap!

Thursday the chemistry program met 9 am to 2 pm. It was really nice to be able to talk to everyone about our goals, projects we want to work on this year, and some budget/fundraising priorities. I don't think we ever met this way all last year. I brought the leftover quinoa salad for the potluck. After the program meeting, I had my last POGIL endorsement training session, which was basically an SII evaluation. I forgot until they mentioned it at the end that I'm getting a (small) stipend for doing this; I just wanted the professional development opportunity!

Thursday evening was my science fiction book club meeting. We did not read a book as a group this month because everyone was feeling overwhelmed. Instead, each of us brought something we were currently reading and we shared. I brought The Summer War by Naomi Novik. We voted to read Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson next, but we will split it over two months because it is quite long. I immediately put holds on the e-book and the physical book at the library; we'll see when I can go collect it.

Friday we had the Division meeting 9 am to 2 pm. There was a lot of useful information shared. Lunch was CAVA takeout. I got to sit with M, who I haven't talked to all summer, and tell her about my travels around Georgia. After the meeting, I was able to work on some things in the office and it felt good to be productive. I've been so lethargic and unmotivated the last several weeks; partially I was tired I think because supervising a research student takes more effort than I remembered, but partially because summer just makes me lazy!

My colleague G just bought a house and moved to Tucker and I heard him asking K and others about places around there. He asked me about Henderson Park, specifically. K recommended Ponko Chicken, which was one of the options I had been considering for dinner. I pass the restaurant every day. So I ordered takeout and picked that up (in a thunderstorm) on my way home. I had the basic chicken strips meal with french fries and green beans, and I also got three of the mini-cake cups. It was pretty good, but probably would have been better in the restaurant, before the hot stuff had cooled. I ate at home while catching up with J & J over Zoom. Then we played some BGA games. 

Saturday I slept later, but I was still up by 8 am. I cleaned the fridge, which I have been meaning to do the whole year I've lived here. It was not too bad, but under the bottom drawers was kind of gross with something black dried there and what appeared to be chunks of baking soda. I took all the shelves out and washed them and I also wiped down the sides and ceiling. I cleaned the front grate too. It does look a lot better now. The other project for the day was to reorganize the bookshelves. As these things go, I made a bigger mess first by piling books on the floor and moving books from place to place. I'm not quite finished, but most of the books are sorted into categories and placed generally together. I put many books up for trade on BookMooch (eleven have been claimed already), and then I alphabetized about half of the BookMooch books on the guest bed. I still have about six unopened boxes of books that I don't have room for, and three boxes of BookMooch books, and at least four boxes of TBR. It's a lot of books! I also sorted through the pile of travel brochures and stuff that has been collecting on the floor next to my desk; I put those in folders in the filing cabinet.

After Family Meet I had leftover quinoa salad for dinner and then I went to Kroger (in another thunderstorm) to get groceries. Going out in the rain reminded me that the gutters on my building are not good. In the back, I have noticed weeds growing in the gutter, and the water spills over the edge instead of draining to the downspouts. In the front, all the water seems to drain directly onto the front step which makes it impossible to go in or out without getting drenched. 

This annoyed me enough to log on to my HOA website (which I only rarely do) to submit a maintenance request about it, and while I was looking at my account I noticed that my dues haven't been paid since January and I've been charged a $20 late fee in addition every month. Ack! I thought that my mortgage company was paying the dues with part of my escrow, but it turns out that is not the case. I was apparently confused because I had paid all of the 2024 dues included with closing last summer and I had not realized that it was a separate thing. Ack! Well, eight months of dues and fees have now been paid (I'm thankful I have the ability to draw that amount from savings), and my feeling of chagrin will fade once I start paying on time.

Sunday was another ambitious day. After breakfast I put together the three little solar lamps that Thrivent sent me last week. They were easy: essentially I had to put a rubber gasket around the edge, screw the circuit board to the case, connect two leads, and screw the case together. They even included the screwdriver. The process made me wonder how this is beneficial. Wouldn't it be more efficient to just put the kits together in the factory, rather than packaging all the parts and shipping them to different locations for different people to assemble? They even sent me a tote bag as a thank-you gift.

Pre-assembly

Three finished lamps.

Next, I scrubbed the kitchen floor. The tiles, and especially the grout, were pretty dirty. I was amazed how much lighter the grout color was afterwards. I should do the rest of the tile in the dining room, but after an hour and a half with the scrub brush I was too tired to continue. If I had a bigger bucket, I could possibly use a mop, but I'm not certain the mop would be able the scrub as effectively. Maybe if I clean the floor more regularly I won't need so much effort next time? I mean, who knows how long it has been since the floor was cleaned? I suspect it's been at least two years, like the windows, since it doesn't look like the previous owners did any cleaning.

Once I had rested, cleaned up, and had some lunch, I cooked. I made a vegan white been and kale dish for the Sunday Assembly potluck. I baked some Wildgrain dinner rolls and biscuits. I cut up a watermelon. Then I went to the potluck, which was good. I think this was my third monthly potluck. After eating we played board games. I was able to teach some people Around the World in 80 Days, and then we played Castle Panic. I went home with only a cup or so of leftovers.

I discovered when I got home that my Wildgrain box had been delivered at last. It was shipped Wednesday and should have been delivered Friday. On Friday afternoon I got a notice that the delivery company "couldn't" deliver for unknown reasons. I contacted customer service Saturday and they said they would look into it. The box was in transit for five days, so all the dry ice was gone and the frozen gel pack was completely thawed (in fact, it had a puncture and had leaked goo inside the box). My croissants had risen until they were one mass of warm dough in a plastic bag. A cardboard box of peach pie bites had been crushed and was also soggy. The other breads in their plastic bags seemed okay after I rinsed off the gel. It was quite a mess, though. When I had sorted that out, and taken the food waste to the trash, I only had time to wash the many dishes and go to bed.

Really August

Yes, it is really August now. Every year, I feel the turn of the page when August begins. It's time to begin seriously planning classes and thinking about fall semester. Time to start getting out of bed earlier in the morning so that the first day of teaching is not as big a shock.

No photos this week as I didn't do anything photogenic. I went to campus every day and tried to discipline my mind to accomplish tasks, and some of the time I succeeded. There were a couple of meetings. Thursday afternoon was the college "Back to Work" party. There was a jazz saxophone player for awhile, then a DJ playing music altogether too loud. There was a bar that I ignored and snacks that I didn't, although I only had a little cheese and some vegetables. And a King of Pops popsicle, because they are so excellent. I talked to a few people about our summers. It was fine.

Monday I was asked (begged, almost) to teach a section of First-Year Seminar left vacant by a departing faculty member. I laughed and said okay after thinking about it 24 hours. This year, there was supposed to be a common syllabus and pre-written modules to make the job as attractive as possible, but the director of the FYS program also stepped away last month, so a new person has just taken it on and he doesn't quite have everything figured out yet. Third semester in a row that I've had a relatively major change to my schedule scant weeks before the semester started. It's going to be like this always, I suppose.

Monday night I came home and rested. Tuesday night I had cribbage club and played well enough for third place (no money for third in the summer, though). Wednesday I played board games at Red's, which was fun. Thursday my colleague CH and I were tentatively planning to have dinner together, but she canceled and we've rescheduled for later this month. I came home and fed Cody and rested, instead. Friday I had Documentary Film Night, and it was the film I suggested, Look Into My Eyes, so I was quite looking forward to it. I had supper by myself at Colonial Kitchen & Bar (Thai food) on the way there. The film was good and there was lively discussion after.

Yesterday (Saturday) I had my second dose of shingles vaccine, I returned books to the library, and I visited the post office to send a BookMooch. My arm is a little sore from the injection, but no other reactions. I spent the rest of the day reading (started and finished The Summer War by Naomi Novik that I received as an advance giveaway), working on On the Spice Market (I'm in the last sequence at last; I should get an updated photo this weekend), and streaming TV (a French film on Kanopy and some British Baking Show on PBS). I made myself a pizza and beer supper. I'm not satisfied with this pizza dough; it's not terrible except it bakes into a cracker. Too thin and too crisp. I think I need to use more bread flour, and/or knead better.

Today I stayed in the house. I made quinoa salad for a potluck meeting later this week, and soup for my lunches. I finished reading The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. I knitted some more and watched The Repair Shop. I cleaned the bathroom, washed dishes, dusted the stairs, took out the trash. I inventoried my spices, which sounds kind of silly but I swear it's necessary. It was a nice quiet day.

Trip to North Georgia

This week, I completed my summer goal of traveling to at least three parts of Georgia outside of Atlanta by visiting the northeast corner of the state: Rabun, Towns, and Union counties. My secondary goals were to visit as many State Parks, local breweries, and other points of (my) interest as I could in those three counties.

July 30 - Day 1

I left Atlanta after lunch and drove to Moccasin Creek State Park. This is the smallest state park in Georgia and it consists mainly of a campground on the shore of Lake Burton. It is between Clayton and Hiawassee on the scenic state highway 197. It took about two hours to drive there. I walked around the campground loop to look at the lake and then I went across the highway to the Moccasin Creek Trailhead. The trail to Hemlock Falls was easy; it follows the creek and there are several little rapids and side falls along the way. Some of the trail is slippery and there are a lot of tripping roots. The falls were pretty and there were no other people around when I got there. I didn't realize there is another set of waterfalls a short distance further up the trail so I did not see them.

On the shore of Lake Burton at Moccasin Creek State Park

The trail to the falls.

Moccasin Creek

Hemlock Falls

After my hike, I drove to Clayton and checked in to my AirBnB which was an efficiency apartment over a garage at the end of a tiny street. It was very cozy, and a short walk three blocks downhill to reach Main Street, which I did almost immediately to have dinner at The Hush, a Cuban restaurant. I overindulged with both a cocktail and dessert to celebrate the start of the trip. After dinner I walked up Main Street to see the shops and then visited the Rabun County courthouse (new; but the bell from the historic courthouse is on display). 

With the old courthouse bell.

July 31 - Day 2

I bought a sandwich and fruit for lunch at the grocery before driving to Tallulah Gorge State Park. Tallulah Gorge is one of the "Seven Wonders of Georgia" and I have been looking forward to seeing it. There is a large visitors center with exhibits on the history of the area, the plants and animals, and a film. There is also a gift shop. I talked to the ranger on duty about which hikes to do. Some of the trails (on the gorge floor) require a special permit and I didn't get one. Only a limited number of permits per day are issued, some days less depending on weather and other conditions. Today, the ranger said they only issued 39 permits because it is dangerously hot and humid. There are steel stairs that go down to a bridge over the river that has a good view of Hurricane Falls, but they were also closed because of the extreme heat.

I think this is Hurricane Falls.

More waterfalls in the gorge.

L'Eau D'Or (LaDore) Falls, I think

View of the dam and highway bridge

Tempesta Falls

North Wallenda Tower ruin

I first hiked along the north rim of the gorge, which has five overlooks and a spur trail up to Inspiration Point, the highest point in the park, at the downstream end. There were lots of good views of the cliffs on the opposite side, and some views of four of the five waterfalls in the gorge. Also ruins of the north steel tower used by Karl Wallenda when he crossed the gorge on a cable in 1970. The upstream end of the north rim trail ends at the dam and highway bridge over the gorge. One could walk over the bridge and continue on the south rim, but I paused for lunch. I drove my car to the day-use area that is on the lake above the dam and ate lunch at a picnic table overlooking the swimming area. After that, I walked back to the dam and hiked the south rim trail, which also has five overlooks. The south rim had fewer people, and was a prettier trail. There was a mural painted on a retaining wall and many stonework walls, steps, and benches built around the overlooks. I tried to go up to the south Wallenda tower but that trail was closed. On my walk back to the day-use area, it started to rain. A thunderstorm with lightning came over the mountains to the west and I decided to wait it out in a small shelter built next to the top of the stairs (these connect with the bridge at the bottom and the other set of stairs on the north rim). I waited about 45 minutes and only saw two other people who had also been caught by the storm as they jogged through. 

Swimming area in the lake above the dam.

Waiting for the storm to pass.

Upstream of the day-use area is a section of the Tallulah Falls Railroad right-of-way that has been converted to a nice paved trail called the Shortline. It follows the river for about a mile, crosses over, and then almost-but-not-quite makes a loop back to the beginning. I had to walk on a road a short distance to get back over the river and reach the starting point. There are a couple of interpretive signs on this trail.

Shortline Trail

Tallulah River upstream of the lake and dam.

On my way back to Clayton, I made a few stops. First, at the honey store on the highway just south of town. The store sells lots of honey, honey products, products featuring bees, and art and items suggestive of bees and/or honey (such as a silicone honeycomb baking tray). They also sell supplies for beekeepers and, apparently, live bees. I arrived just as some excitement was ending: a semi truck tried to drive out through the back way, up a steep driveway, and had gotten stuck so the guys had to lift the trailer with a forklift to free it. The employees in the store were all talking about it.

My next stop was at the Rabun County Welcome Center. I talked to two women about all the things to do in the county and they loaded me up with brochures and advice. Once I escaped, I took their advice to drive east on US-76 to the South Carolina border. Immediately after the bridge over the Chattooga River, there's a parking area. From there, a short trail leads down to the river's edge at a rapids called Bull Sluice, and I happened to arrive in time to see a group of rafters passing through the rapids. I watched all four boats go through; everyone clapped and cheered as each boat finished.

Raft finishing Bull Sluice

Returning to Clayton, I had dinner at Fortify, a pizza and burger bar. Then I treated myself to artisan ice cream at Bean & Basil (the flavor was brown butter cookie dough).

August 1 - Day 3

I spent all day in Towns County. First, I drove to Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia. It is managed by the Forest Service, and there is parking, restrooms, and a gift shop, plus a shuttle that one can ride to the lookout on top. Or, like me, one can hike up the 0.6 mile trail. It was a cloudy morning and I worried that there would be nothing to see when I got there; the advertisements say on a clear day it is possible to see the Atlanta skyline almost 90 miles away. Well, this mountain is not the tallest I've visited but it was tall enough. The summit was above the clouds and I had good views of forested peaks in all directions, though Atlanta was not visible. The lookout has a visitors center with the usual exhibits of plant and animal life, indigenous people, and European settler history. The main attraction is the observation deck with 360-degree views and I had it to myself for quite a while because I was there so early. 

Brasstown Bald summit from the parking area

View from the summit

Proof that I was there

After hiking back down and checking out the gift shop, I visited the town of Hiawassee. This little town on the shore of Lake Chatuge is a short distance from the North Carolina border. The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds are on a peninsula north of town, with Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens inside the grounds. That was my next stop. The Gardens are free to visit, and there are several well-maintained trails down the slope of a hill that ends on the lake shore. Many types of rhododendrons and other plants are featured, although none were blooming during my visit. It was a quiet place to walk, except for the loud passage of speedboats on the lake. I had lunch back in town at Hiawassee Brew, which provided me with a good quesadilla and a good dunkel.

Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens

Lake Chatuge from the gardens

For the afternoon, I decided to visit High Shoals Falls in Towns County. There is a one-mile gravel road from the highway up to the trailhead, but at the beginning it is necessary to ford a small creek and I decided to park instead of driving through with my car. I waded the creek and hiked up the road, which was relatively strenuous in the heat of the day. At the top was the trailhead and a 1.2 mile hike to the falls on the other side of the ridge. I wasn't sure I could do it, but after a short rest I felt better and started down. The first falls is called Blue Hole Falls because of a beautiful blue pool at the base. It was crowded with families swimming there, jumping off the rocks, and splashing around in the cool water. A little farther is High Shoals Falls that has a smaller pool and was almost empty when I arrived. I took time to sit on a rock and rest watching the cascade. When the people showed up, I decided to hike back, which was 1.2 miles back to the trailhead and another mile down the road to my car. One car stopped to offer me a ride, and I was impressed and grateful, but I declined since I was still feeling all right. I did a total of 5 miles round trip and was definitely tired at the end but proud of my accomplishment.

Blue Hole Falls

High Shoals Falls

I drove back to Clayton and was not hungry for dinner, so I just had ice cream again at Bean & Basil (raspberry chocolate).

August 2 - Day 4

On Saturday, I drove to Union County to visit Vogel State Park. Their new visitor center had just opened the previous day and it was very nice. The park is in a valley around Lake Trahlyta, which was formed by damming Wolf Creek. There are cabins and regular camping sites, a swimming beach, a miniature golf course, and a playground. I did an easy hike around the lake which also took me to Trahlyta Falls. Then I walked the Reece Nature Trail on the other side of the park. Very hot again today, but it was nice to be under the trees.

The trail around the lake

Trahlyta Falls

Reece nature trail

Only a few miles from the park is the Reece Farm and Heritage Center, built on property previously owned by Byron Herbert Reece (who was born in a cabin on Wolf Creek, now within Vogel State Park). Reece was a farmer and well-known mountain poet. The Heritage Center preserves many farm buildings and has information about life in this area during Reece's time. I walked through all the building exhibits; unfortunately the visitors center and gift shop was closed. I met an interesting person while exploring there: a woman with a big dog who had hiked to the farm from Vogel State Park (about 3 miles) and had hoped to use the restroom (which was inside the closed visitor center). She told me about the hike, about her dog, and about meeting a bear at another state park earlier in the week. She looked to be about my age, maybe a little older, and was clearly having a good time camping and hiking by herself. 

Sculpture at the Reece Farm

Next I visited the county seat: Blairsville. The old courthouse, built in 1899, is in the center of town and is now used by the Union County Historical Society. There is a self-guided tour of the exhibits, which include the restored courtroom and judges' offices on the second floor. A nice local was staffing the desk and she was full of information about the history of the county and the courthouse. I noticed with pleasure that the courthouse bell still tolls the hours, and at noon it played a tune.

Union County Historic courthouse

Courtroom

A couple of blocks away, I found lunch at Pizza Belly. I had a personal size Detroit-style pepperoni pizza that was incredibly good. I enjoyed relaxing on the patio with a book while I waited for the food. I also walked next door to have a beer (Buried Roots brown ale) at Blairsville Brewing Company.

After lunch I checked out Meeks Park, a large municipal park east of downtown. It has lots of recreation areas and trails; I only drove through. I decided to find another waterfall and chose Helton Creek Falls. I was able to drive the 2 mile gravel access road to the trailhead and stop with everybody else at the top of the ridge with no trouble. The hike was only about 0.3 miles down, and there are upper and lower falls to see. Lots of families swimming and wading again.

Helton Creek Falls

On my way back to Clayton (it was about 45 miles, but a little more than an hour by car) I stopped one more time on the Towns-Rabun county line where the Appalachian Trail crosses US-76 at Dicks Creek Gap. There is a little parking area at the trail access so I could get out and look at the trail itself.

Dicks Creek Gap boulder, Appalachian Trail

Again, I did not feel like dinner so I just had ice cream at Bean & Basil (chocolate), then went over to Currahee Brewing and had a beer while I listened to the live band play covers of songs I know. Currahee is from North Carolina, but I didn't want to leave Clayton without at least having a beer there.

August 3 - Day 5

Sunday was the final day of this trip. I had to pack the car and stop at the grocery for a sandwich, and it was drizzly and surprisingly cold (only about 20 C; this was the only time it felt warmer inside my cottage than outside). Just north of Clayton is Black Rock Mountain State Park, the third state park in the county. The road up is paved but very narrow and winding, and in the drizzle it was also quite dark. I may have been the first guest of the day; the rangers were still getting themselves organized in the visitor center. The clouds were so thick I couldn't see anything from the overlook; I could barely see the opposite side of the road. I didn't let this stop me from hiking, though. As it was even colder on top of the mountain (16 C), I put on a rain jacket and boots. First I walked down to Ada-Hi Falls, which is a short distance from the visitor center. This waterfall only runs in wet weather, so I guess it was good that there was rain overnight and drizzle in the morning. In fact, there was so much water dripping from the trees above me that I couldn't tell when the fog/drizzle turned into actual rain, as it certainly did. Past the waterfall, I continued to Tennessee Rock Trail, a 2.2 mile loop that took me to the summit of Black Rock Mountain which has some impressive rockpiles. Just as I reached the top, the rain stopped and it got windier, which blew some of the clouds away, enough to see a little of the valley views. By the time I finished the loop (about 1.5 hours total), I could see neighboring mountains and the valley floors below from the overlooks. I was pretty well soaked with rain, but my clothes dried quickly as I ate my lunch in the picnic shelter near the visitors center. I did need to put on a warm sweatshirt though!

Overlook at the visitors center when I arrived

Ada-Hi Falls

Tennessee Rock Trail in the rain

Summit of Black Rock Mountain

Crossing the Continental Divide

Overlook at the visitors center when I finished the hike

Finally, on my drive back down the mountain, I stopped at the Foxfire Museum and did the self-guided walking tour, which was an easy 45 minute loop. Each building is either an original mountain building brought to the property and restored, or an authentically constructed example. There are a couple of barns, some cabins, a chapel, and others. The exhibits in each building contain information about the history of the southern Appalachian mountain people and about the Foxfire project. I remember reading some Foxfire books many years ago, so it was interesting to learn about how the project was started by a local high school teacher in 1966, and the students who worked to collect and preserve the mountain heritage by interviewing and writing magazine stories about local residents.

At the Foxfire Mercantile (visitors center and shop)

Then it was time to head home to Atlanta. In about two hours, I arrived at my little house in the city.